The Dead Inside
by lotrspnfangirl
Summary: (shortened) Dead's walking, changing the reality of everyday life. Every moment becomes a struggle, a fight for each breath taken. Rick & Daryl find themselves living in a dystopia that forces them all to face their new realities in ways they would never have imagined. Surviving the dead outside is nothing compared to surviving the dead inside. SLASH - RICKYL
1. Chapter 1

**Artwork can be found on the A03 Post.**

 **Summary:** The Dead are walking, changing the reality of everyday life at every turn. Every moment becomes a struggle, a fight for each breath taken. They're living in an apocalypse, and Rick Grimes finds himself struggling to find his place in his family and the group of people he's saved. Daryl Dixon wants to go back to the things he knew - solitary and his older brother. But the challenges of living in a dystopian world force them all to face their new realities in ways they would never have imagined. Because really, surviving the dead outside is nothing compared to surviving the dead inside.

 **A/N:** Unbeta'd and just for fun! We do not know or own anything that has to do with The Walking Dead. We are just taking, and playing. Feedback fuels the fire and comments are greatly appreciated! 3 Jo & Dani

This is a co-written fanfiction. Jo (psychoticmidds - A03) will be writing for Daryl & Dani (lotrspnfangirl) will be writing for Rick.

* * *

 **-Rick-**

Rick Grimes' life was falling apart. It was funny, really, since the entire world was in complete chaos, death becoming more prominent than life. Strangely enough, Rick could handle that. He knew how to shoot, how to protect and to serve. Aim for the head, watch your back and those you love. Easy, post-apocalyptic life was just the same as real life. And yet...

Rick exhaled slowly, letting himself sink down to the ground, back pressed up against the outside wall of the farmhouse. He glanced around the yard once, scanning the perimeter for any movement, before he allowed himself to drop his head into his hands. His life was falling apart.

Just behind the wall he was leaning on, Carl was laying with a bullet in him, a fever raging through him and struggling for every breath he was taking. His son had been shot by a man who had only been working to provide for himself and for his family. The man was doing exactly what Rick and Carl had been doing - hunting, surviving. It hadn't stopped Rick from returning the favor and putting a bullet into his chest, but Rick at least understood where he was coming from. A life for a life, reality, because although no one was saying it out loud, Rick wasn't sure if Carl was going to make it through this.

Rick felt his stomach churn and he pushed the thought away quickly, willing himself to look at the positive. They'd found this farm. The farm had a doctor, well, Vet. So luck had to be on their side, didn't it?

From above him, he heard a soft murmuring of voices, Lori singing softly at Carl's bedside and Rick focused on the sound of her voice instead. How many nights had he come home late to find her singing softly while Carl slept? If he closed his eyes he could almost picture himself leaning against Carl's bedroom door, Lori wearing her soft, pink nightgown, her fingers carding through Carl's baby soft hair as she sang. Life had been good, so very good. Though, Rick couldn't necessarily blame the Walkers on the strain between him and his wife.

A walker didn't ask Lori to spread her legs.

The sound of footsteps crunching across the gravel had Rick's attention snapping back up, his right hand shifting back to his hip, fingers already wrapped around the butt of his pistol. Daryl, the redneck's bow-brother raised an eyebrow, eyes darting from Rick's hand to Rick's face before he nodded once.

"You comin' or what?" Rick nodded at the question and pushed himself up from the ground.

"I'm ready," he cleared his throat and Daryl stared at him a second more before shaking his head and pressing on down the path to the front of the house. Rick sighed, kicking at the gravel with his boot. Maybe he should check on Carl one more time... just in case. But the thought of seeing Lori, her large, brown eyes pleading with him, begging him for forgiveness or absolution for whatever fucking excuse she would come up with now, made his blood boil.

If he couldn't shoot her, he might as well shoot a walker. He followed after Daryl who was waiting impatiently at his motorcycle, arms crossed tight over his chest.

"Just us?" Daryl asked.

Rick looked around at their group and the group that was living at the farm- Glenn was fast, but he needed him here to watch out for the rest of them. Carol was watching Sophia, Andrea was a joke and Shane... Well, if Shane went, he would end up being the target. "Just us," Rick echoed and Daryl shrugged, swinging his leg over his bike and starting up the engine. Rick checked the backseat of the small Ford the farmer Hershel lent them to make sure his rifle and extra ammo were in the backseat before he slid in and started the ignition. He tipped his head to Daryl and pulled out of the driveway after him.

 **-Daryl-**

Nodding back at Rick, Daryl revved the engine of his brother's motorcycle, tearing across the gravel of the driveway. He was still unsure of Rick and the rest of the group, but with Merle gone, there was nothin' else for him. Dodging in and out of abandoned vehicles, Daryl threw a glance over his shoulder to see how Rick was fairin' through the unmoving traffic. So far so good. Didn't need to be wasting time movin' vehicles if they could help it.

The farmer had given them a list of medical supplies he would need to save Carl's life; Daryl had only agreed to go to get out. He couldn't sit round that farm and do nothin', it would drive him crazy. Comin' to a tight fit, Daryl brought the bike to a stop and swung his leg round, dismounting from the bike. Rick parked the Ford and climbed from the driver's seat to help Daryl move the cars off to the side of the road. Daryl drew his knife as he approached the vehicle on the right, looking at Rick to make sure he was ready, just in case a walker came tumbling out the door when Daryl opened it.

Silently, Rick gave Daryl the signal and he threw open the door; the smell of rotted flesh hit him hard, but the corpse inside remained still and lifeless. Covering his nose and mouth, Daryl coughed, and with his free hand, he reached into the car, pushin' the corpse out of his way. Prying open the lower panel beneath the steering wheel, he exposed the wires he needed and struck them together. The engine sputtered and faltered.

"Come on..." Daryl grumbled, trying it again. The engine sputtered once more before it revved to life. "Got it!" Switching the gear into neutral, he called over his shoulder,"Push!"

Rick went to the back of the Sedan and began to push while Daryl steered the vehicle to the side of the road, effectively moving it out of their way. Daryl shifted the gear into park and moved out of the car. Straightening up, he noticed a walker that they had managed to catch the attention of. Sliding the crossbow from his back, Daryl quickly docked an arrow and took the shot. The arrow flew through the air, piercin' through the skull of the walker, squirting blood from the wound as the corpse fell lifelessly to the ground. Slinging the bow back onto his shoulder, Daryl assessed the clearing. "Think ya' can manage to get through?" he questioned Rick, unsure of the pig's driving skills. Rick took his own glance at the clearing momentarily before he spoke:

"I think I can manage." Daryl shrugged his shoulders, doubting the pig and returned to his bike. Swinging his leg over and taking his seat, he looked back, watching Rick get into the Ford and drive through the clearance, proving Daryl wrong. Knocking the kickstand back, Daryl straightened the bike out and took off, racing out in front of Rick and taking the lead once again. The town wasn't too far from the farm and when they arrived there was still a lot of daylight left for them to search with.

Killing the engine, Daryl lowered the kickstand and set the handles down before he looked over to the Ford, waiting for Rick. Silently, Daryl hoped that the pig's emotions wouldn't get in the way and possibly put them at risk because his mind was on his son and not the task at hand. Daryl couldn't even begin to understand what that was like, and honestly, he didn't care to understand. This was the guy that had left his brother handcuffed to a roof and left Merle behind to die. Yeah, so Rick had went back, so what? That was only because he felt guilty, not because he cared if Merle survived or not. So why the hell was it Daryl's problem to care if Rick's son lived or died?

Honestly, it wasn't Daryl's problem, but as much as he loathed Rick for what he did to Merle, he couldn't let an innocent kid suffer. Rick motioned for Daryl to follow, pulling his revolver, and Daryl drew his crossbow, taking a moment to dock an arrow before catching up to the pig.

"Check the pharmacy first?" Daryl asked, keeping his voice low and trying not to draw any unwanted attention from any walkers that may have been nearby. Rick curtly nodded his head in response and headed across the desolate streets which were littered with trash, crashed vehicles, dried blood pools, and lifeless corpses. Daryl thought he would have gotten used to the silence by now of the ghosts towns, it was eerie. At the same time, it made hearing the walkers all the easier. Approaching the door. Daryl took the left side while Rick took theright; the two exchanged a glance, letting each other know they were ready.

Daryl used the end of the crossbow to bash against the door, and the two waited to listen to any sound coming from within before proceeding. A few dull thuds came from the other side of the door; it sounded like there were two, maybe three, nothing the two of them couldn't handle. Rick looked to Daryl, wrapping a hand around the doorknob, Daryl pushed off the side of the building and moved to the other side.

Daryl's finger rested on the trigger, prepared to shoot once Rick opened the door. The arrow flew off the bow the second the door was opened, striking through the first walker's skull, while Rick used his knife to take down the other. Daryl didn't waste time docking another arrow, and instead used the end of the bow to bash the final walker's skull in. Stepping over the lifeless corpse, Daryl grabbed the end of the arrow and tugged it free, blood squirting out. Rick stepped past Daryl and headed into the building, digging out a piece of paper Hershel listed what he needed on, and began to search.

Daryl stood at the entrance of the store, watching out for walkers and giving Rick the time and freedom he needed to concentrate. Shifting back and forth from foot to foot, Daryl's eyes scanned the area and noticed something shuffling around from inside a nearby store. It was probably more walkers, but they seemed trapped inside so he put it out of his thoughts and let his gaze continue to scan the rest of the surroundings and back again. Rick swore loudly and something clattered to the ground.

Daryl turned his head and looked over his shoulder to check on the pig; he was alright, it seemed like he had dropped something because he had too much stuff loaded in his arms. With a roll of his eyes and a soft scoff, Daryl moved out of position and grabbed a shopping cart, rolling it over to Rick so it stopped at the pig's feet.

"Thanks," Rick grumbled, unloading everything from his arms into the cart.

"Mhm..." Daryl grunted and went back to his post, noticing the figure he had seen before in the nearby store was now gone. Furrowing his brow, Daryl rationalized with himself before jumping to conclusions; the walker could have moved to a different part of the store, nothing to worry about. Daryl willed himself to settle down and not let his paranoia get the best of him, even if was other people, would it be such a big deal to run into them?

"I told you someone was in there." Daryl heard a man say, not talking all that quietly from behind a vacant vehicle. Why were they hiding? Something didn't set right with Daryl about this. Looking back, Daryl let out a soft whistle, snapping Rick's attention to him. He motioned out the door with his head before Daryl turned his neck back into position and lifted his crossbow.

Thankfully, the pig had some knowledge of signals and came quickly to Daryl's side, pulling his revolver once more.

"Show yourselves," Rick barked out with that authoritative tone every pig possessed. Demanding to be respected and obeyed; even Daryl's body tensed for a minute before it relaxed with ease. For now, Rick was on his side.

 **-Rick-**

Rick's heart was pounding in his chest, beating against his ribcage. He swallowed hard, willing himself to calm down as he peered out of the doorway, eyes scanning the pavement before their storefront. Beside him, Daryl was still and Rick had to glance down at his stomach for a moment to see if he was even still breathing. He snapped his attention back to the parking lot when they heard the scraping of boots on the pavement- he could be impressed with Daryl's stealth skills later.

Daryl's eyes were darting back and forth and his fingers twitched against his bow. "Is there another door?"

Rick shook his head once. While he'd been collecting the medications Hershel had listed, he'd seen the service door-completely blocked off with heavy metal shelves and in no way an easily accessible entrance. The only way they would be leaving was the door they were standing out, same with anyone wanting to come in. Daryl nodded once, just a slight movement of his head, and then squinted. Rick's eyes flicked to where he thought Daryl was looking. An abandoned car, their own vehicles, but no movement.

The twang of Daryl's bow made Rick jump and he was further impressed when he heard the curse from behind the car.

"Okay! Okay!" A deep voice called out, two hands appearing from over the hood of the car. Daryl had a small smirk on his face and together they watched as a short, stocky man pushed forward, Daryl's arrow sticking out from the top of his shoe.

"Missed," Daryl shrugged, cocking another arrow, his eyes staring at the man's left foot.

"Where's your friend?" Rick shifted slightly, making sure his body was behind the metal door frame, his eyes scanning the length of the car the man had emerged from. The man looked confused, opening his mouth to argue he was alone, and in tandem, Rick raised his pistol as Daryl raised his bow. Rick could see the man swallow hard, could practically feel the man's fear pouring off of him in waves as he stared back at them. It made Rick feel something he hadn't in a while - in power, in control. It felt so damn good. "Step forward."

"Slowly," Daryl added, voice low and threatening. Rick almost smiled at the look that crossed over the strangers face before he bent down and yanked up his partner. The two men stood side by side, half their bodies blocked by the abandoned car.

Rick waved his pistol, the first man jumping slightly as he followed the instruction and started shifting out from behind the second man hesitated and Rick's attention was instantly locked on him.

The first man, overweight, scared and seemingly a push over. He would be easy to get information out of, easy to handle. The second was the wild card and Rick was not interested in playing that game. He cleared his throat, making sure the sound carried over the parking lot and the second man's eyes pinned him with a heavy glare as he shuffled to the side. Daryl clicked his tongue beside him, his fingers twitching against the bow.

"Don't trust them," Daryl whispered and Rick fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"I don't trust anyone," he answered back and Daryl snorted.

The first man was fully cleared from the car, his hands shaking as his eyes flickered between Daryl and Rick. The second man stopped again and Rick tightened his hold on his gun, adrenaline suddenly back full force and pounding through his veins. It happened quickly; two shots, a scream, and a twang from Daryl's bow. Rick exhaled slowly, lowering his gun to point to the ground as he stepped out of the doorway, eyes scanning the area for any walkers drawn to the sound of the guns.

He knew, without looking, that Daryl was just behind him, didn't need to ask if he was okay. They'd gotten their shots out first, the second man's shot going wide over Rick's own head. Rick stared down at the corpses, two new decorations from the street and shook his head.

"Come on," he said cleared his throat and turned on his heel, shoving his pistol into the back of his jeans."I've almost gotten everything."

 **-Daryl-**

Daryl lowered the crossbow, following after Rick back into the pharmacy, resuming his position by the door. The gunshots would have drawn the attention of the walkers, not leaving them much more time to gather many more supplies.

"Hurry up," Daryl muttered pointedly towards Rick as the pig went back into the aisles to grab whatever was left on the list. Daryl paced again, beginning to become impatient, starting to believe Rick was taking his sweet ass time on purpose. Huffing in frustration, and he craned his neck trying to get a look at what the pig was doing. Hearing the sounds of growls coming toward the pharmacy, he snapped his head in the other direction instead. "Shit," Daryl swore under his breath; time was up and the dead were upon them. "Rick!"

Docking arrow after arrow, Daryl started to release them upon the animated corpses that were closing in on them. 'The hell is he?' Daryl wondered to himself, not allowing himself to let his gaze leave the walkers. Docking the last arrow, he shot it off and lowered the crossbow and reached for his knife, hearing the familiar sound of Rick's revolver firing from behind him, taking out the walkers one by one, and littering the streets with even more corpses. The last one fell and Daryl walked out of the pharmacy, retrieving the bolts from the skulls of the fallen bodies, then turned on Rick upon hearing the wheels of the cart rattling, his temper flaring.

"The hell were you?" he yelled, ready to throw a punch at the pig for leaving him hanging the way he had.

"You had it handled," Rick shrugged his shoulders and Daryl locked his jaw and swung a fist at the pig; Rick stepped out of the way, grabbing on to his wrist and twisted Daryl's arm behind his back, restraining him. "Calm down," Rick stated smoothly, Daryl struggled to break the grip.

"Screw you! Let go of me! "

"I will, once you settle down," the pig stated calmly, waiting for Daryl to stop struggling before letting him go. Daryl pulled away with a huff, venomously staring Rick down, hating how easily the pig could overpower him. Merle would never let him live this down if he knew about this. Storming away from Rick, instead of helping him load the supplies to the trunk, he went to his bike and mounted it. He kicked the ignition, drawing Rick's gaze to him; his eyes narrowing at Daryl lightly.

"Aren't you going to give me a hand?"

"You got it handled," Daryl spat back mockingly, knocking back the kickstand with his foot and tearing off, leaving Rick behind. Some part of him wanted to keep on going right on past the farm; there was no reason to be there, Daryl knew he didn't fit in with the rest and he had no desire to fit in with them either. Somewhere along the road he heard the engine of the Ford catching up to him before passing him by.

Angrily, Daryl threw the bird at the pig, revved his engine and sped out in front of the Ford; it became a race and before Daryl knew, they were back on the farm's property. Cursing under his breath, Daryl cut off the engine, knowing there wasn't much gas to get him far away now. He waited for Rick to step out of the truck. "You can go by yourself, next time," Daryl spat at the pig and dismounted his bike, storming off away from the farm house and separating himself from Rick.

Adrenaline and fury pumped through Daryl's entire body, drawing the attention of the other members of the group who were setting up camp outside a few yards from the barn. Getting as far away as possible from the rest without actually leaving the property, Daryl gazed at the woods and headed into the trees, figuring he would take his frustration out as he hunted down some supper for himself.

A few hours later, Daryl returned, the bodies of squirrels lying limply on a string against his back. Frustration was still churning inside of him. He headed at first to his own space but noticed the others had managed to get a fire started. Daryl could have made his own, but instead he decided to go to the others, not entirely sure why. The kids had no food... yeah, that was the reason.

"Did you hear Daryl? Carl's going to make it! You helped save him," the small girl named Sophia praised and Daryl sneered at her.

"Didn't do shit," he said roughly, slinging the squirrels from his shoulder.

 **-Rick-**

Rick exhaled a breath he hadn't known he was holding and felt himself collapse back against the wall.

Carl was going to be okay. Carl was going to survive.

"We're still not a hundred percent... but, like I said, his fever has broken. I am impressed you managed to find some antibiotics as well..." Hershel was continuing, his fingers tracing over the bottle of Cipro Rick had managed to find, a small smile on his face.

"But he's going to be okay?" Lori's voice broke through Rick's joy, managing to draw up the anger he'd pushed down for the last three hours he'd been sitting beside her at Carl's side. When they weren't sure, they shared something. They shared their love for Carl, their fear for his safety, and for a while, Rick could just pretend that they were two worried parents, clinging to hope and desperation for their only child. Now that Carl was safe and thank God for that, the choking feelings of hatred and disgust Rick held for his wife started to creep back in.

"Yes, I think he is going to be just fine." Rick gave Hershel a tight smile and the older man excused himself from the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

"Oh, Rick," Lori's voice broke and he glanced at her, her large, brown eyes swimming with tears. She reached for him, taking one of his hands in both of hers and let out a small sob. "He's going to be okay, he's really going to make it."

"I know, I heard the Doc," Rick replied, pulling his hand away from her, surprised at himself for the lack of vehemence in the action. For her part, Lori looked as if he had just slapped her and it almost made Rick laugh. Did she really think...?

"I think we should talk now..." Yeah. She did. Rick shook his head, staring at her in disbelief.

"About what, Lori? What could you possibly have to say to me?"

"That I'm sorry?" She shrugged, eyes searching his. "That I love you and I made a mistake? That I... I thought you were dead, so did Carl and I-"

"Opened your legs to the first willing man who would have you?" Rick cut her off quickly, shoving out of the chair he was sitting in. He stood over her and she curled in on herself, arms coming around her stomach protectively and it made him feel sick. "Seriously, Lori?" he asked, spinning away from her to stand by the window. "I have never hit you. Not once. So you can act the victim all you want, but I was the one that was abandoned."

"I had to get Carl to safety!" Lori hissed and Rick closed his eyes.

"I know, Lori. And I am glad you did. You had to get him out. You did not have to fuck my best friend two weeks into a fucking apocalypse." he turned again, pinning her with a cold stare."You think that maybe finding shelter, food, a weapon to protect your son would've been more important than opening your fucking legs?"

Lori stood up quickly, her hand darting out and clapping across his cheek. Rick gave a soft laugh but raised his hand to catch her wrist when she moved to slap him again.

"You can be pissed all you want Lori, I would be if I decided to whore myself out before I even knew if my husband's body was cold or if my son was safe."

"Well, he got shot on your watch, not on mine," Lori whispered back, handshaking in his grasp. They stared at each other, both of them breathing hard, the soft sound of the IV bag Hershel had set up dripping was the only other sound in the room. Rick glanced at Lori's ring, the diamond she wore reflecting in the soft candlelight and he reached up with his free hand, slipping it from her finger. "What- Rick, you can't-"

"I can," he argued, gripping the ring in his fist and releasing her. "Unlike you, Lori? I know what's going on out there. So we're going to stick together, we are going to have each other's backs and more importantly? We're going to make sure that Carl is kept safe and fed until this entire fucked up situation has been fixed. It's us against them Lori, and even though your heart is cold as stone? You're still alive. That means you're not completely useless. We are not, however, married and the conversations between us will be purely business or about Carl and his safety."

"Rick... Please..." Lori whispered, tears swimming in her eyes. "I love you..."

"No, Lori. You love yourself, and you loved our life. If you loved me? We wouldn't be having this conversation." Rick turned, shoving Lori's ring and his own deep into his pocket before crossing to the bed and kissing Carl's forehead. "I'll be back, buddy," he said against Carl's ear and then he slipped out of the room, leaving Lori alone.

 **-Daryl-**

"Could you please not use that language around my daughter?" The woman with the dike haircut asked, and Daryl shot a glare at her.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Daryl spat incredulously, dropping the squirrels on the ground completely, no longer caring about them. He couldn't believe this woman. Wasn't she the one that had an abusive husband that cursed her out and beat her down? Now she had the balls to tell Daryl to watch his language.

"Hey man, have some respect. She asked you nicely to watch your language." The second pig, Shane, jumped into the confrontation, laying a hand on Daryl's chest, and he slapped it away

"Don't touch me," Daryl snapped darkly at Shane. "Your boyfriend's not around to back you up," he threatened.

"Both of you stop, you're scaring Sophia!" The protest fell on deaf ears and Shane reached out for Daryl's shoulder, trying once more to settle him down. Daryl moved away from the attempted contact and punched Shane in the jaw, surprising everyone around the fire; the pig rubbed at his jaw, checking his hand for blood.

"Screw ya'll," Daryl muttered, picking up the squirrels from the ground. That was the last time he was going to do anything for them; storming off, Daryl returned to his own area. Putting aside the squirrels, he went to fetch his own firewood and start his own could starve now, for all he cared.

Daryl was roasting the first squirrel when Shane approached him, "The hell you want?"

"We need to talk about your attitude..."

"My attitude?" Daryl interrupted witha scoff at the pig.

"Yes, your attitude and lack of respect for everyone in this group." Shane barked, and Daryl rolled his eyes.

"If anyone deserved respect, maybe I'd give it to em'," Daryl replied coyly, turning over the squirrel roasting on the open fire.

"Seems like you respect Rick some," Shane pushed a button and Daryl got in the pig's face, ready to strike him again.

"Rick can go fuck himself... or wait... it's your job to fuck him. Ain't it?" Shane threw the first punch and the two of them began to brawl. Abruptly, he felt himself yanked back and an arm wrapping around his neck.

"That's enough!" Rick's voice spat, holding Daryl back, but he was screaming at Shane.

 **-Rick-**

Rick had his arm around Daryl, the shorter man gripping his forearm, almost painfully as he struggled to calm himself down-or possibly get out of the hold and kick Rick's ass as well as Shane's."I said enough," Rick hissed as Shane took another step forward.

"This punk-" Shane started and Rick was quick, drawing his pistol and stopping Shane mid-sentence and mid-step.

"I said enough."

"Rick," Shane's voice was soft, eyes trailing from the gun back up to Rick's face. "You're seriously going to pull a gun on me? Me? Your brother?"

Rick felt himself laugh and Daryl took the moment to slip out from under Rick's arms, still breathing heavy as he watched the two of them pair off. "My brother? My brother, Shane?" Rick asked, voice soft. He saw Shane flinch and knew he heard every single word as well as the ones he had yet to say.

"Rick, come on, man. This isn't about us..." Shane shook his head, holding his hands out before him. "I'm just taking care of a 'lil problem over in the group."

"I don't care what you were doing." Rick shrugged and slowly lowered his gun, placing it back in his pants."Far as I'm concerned, you can go and fuck yourself. The only reason I haven't shot you, you backstabbing son of a bitch, is because you know how to aim and to shoot and can do a hell of a lot to keep this group safe."

Shane stared back at him, something Rick couldn't decipher crossing over his features before he sighed, dropping his hands to shove into his jean pockets. He looked away from Rick, rocking back on his heels.

"Can you two have your lovers spat elsewhere? This is my spot," Daryl broke the sudden silence and Rick jumped, completely forgetting that he had been there. Shane's face snapped up and he glared at the other man.

"I came out here for you, actually," Rick replied, turning back to Shane. "You can leave."

"You're not the fucking boss, Rick. We're partners, brothers!" Shane hissed, taking a step forward and Rick was quick to close the distance between them, towering over Shane as they met chest to chest.

"You're nothing to me, Shane, except a means to an end. This case? Safety. So go make yourself useful and get the fuck out of my sight before I change my mind and do decide to shoot you."

"Get off your fucking high-horse, Rick," Shane muttered, shoving Rick's chest as he turned. "You'll get over it soon enough and you'll come crawling back. No matter what you say not? We are brothers, our blood runs blue, and you can never change that."

Rick watched as Shane stalked off, kicking the gravel with his boots and sending small rocks skittering across the lawn. The area around them became silent, save the crackling of the fire and sizzling of the meat Daryl was cooking in the fire. Rick took a deep breath and turned slowly, crouching down to his knees so he was the same height as Daryl who was still on the ground, now tending to his dinner.

"Carl is going to be just fine," Rick started and he took Daryl's grunt as a good enough response. "Just wanted to tell you thank you. I wouldn't have been able to do that without you."

 **-Daryl-**

"Don't need ta' thank me..." He shrugged it off, eyes set on the squirrel, body tensed. He didn't need to overhear any of what was said between Shane and Rick; he didn't care about their problems or their bromance. Made Daryl sick to his stomach, actually. "Keep your boyfriend away from me."

"He's not my boyfriend," Rick shot back. "He was my best friend before he decided to sleep with my wife." Daryl didn't respond; he removed the cooked squirrel from the fire and bit into it. He was acting as if he didn't care, but he wondered to himself how someone claimed to be your best friend did something like that.

"You need better friends," Daryl muttered, his mouth full of squirrel meat. Then he motioned to the rest of the pile. "I ain't gonna eat that all," was his way of telling Rick to take it back to the others so they could eat.

Rick shook his head with a light chuckle, "Don't I know it." The pig picked up the pile of squirrels and put a hand on Daryl's shoulder, which the redneck pulled away from. "I didn't mean to leave you hanging back there. I knew we didn't have time and I had to get the rest of the medicine. I'm sorry." Daryl's eyes shifted and caught Rick's gaze at last and he grunted in response.

The pig left Daryl alone after that, and he finished the squirrel, using the fire to keep himself warm. Leaning back against the trunk of a nearby tree, Daryl pulled his crossbow on his lap, eyes set on the woods. Looking and listening, fully aware of every movement and sound that came from the tree line. Bored and restless, Daryl kept his crossbow close, deciding to take a walk around the farm and get a feel for the perimeter.

Daryl found himself by the farm house and he peeked through the window to check on Rick's boy. What Daryl saw in the room made his stomach drop in disgust; Shane had his arms around Lori, kissing her neck, and a hand on Carl's head petting him almost possessively.

Forcing himself to turn away, Daryl hurried away from the window, mind reeling. Rick really didn't have Shane at his side like Daryl had assumed, and he was sure the pig had no idea what was going on inside at that moment. Maybe... Maybe Rick did need Daryl to have his back. Just for now, least until Daryl found some other group or even Merle.

Catching Rick heading for the house, Daryl hurried to stop him; Rick didn't need to walk in on that shit. "Rick?" he called out for the pig's attention, " Want to do a perimeter scope with me? Get a lay of the land? Just in case the shit hits the fan?"

"Can it wait? I want to check on Carl," Rick tried to walk around him and Daryl stopped him again.

"Ain't nothin you can do for him. Kid needs his rest, and you need a distraction. " Daryl was being forward, but something he had said managed to make it through that thick head of Rick's.

"Alright, fine," Rick breathed out a heavy sigh and followed after Daryl. He was never one for small talk, so awkwardly, Daryl walked at Rick's side, looking around the property. "Land is pretty large, I don't think Hershel knows what he's got here. Or what the danger is." Daryl grunted in response, letting Rick ramble. At least his mind was on something else. "Soon as Carl's on his feet we'll be moving on."

"Where?" Daryl finally spoke and Rick shook his head; Daryl could tell how lost he was.

"Shane wants to go to Fort Benning..." Rick began. He didn't need to say that he didn't want to go with him, Daryl could read it in his expression. They finished walking the perimeter and headed back, Daryl saw both Shane and Lori were now with the rest of the group and no longer plastered against each other.

"See you in the mornin'," Daryl grumbled, leaving Rick's side and going back to his own space to sit back down against the trunk of the tree. He stared out at the tree line until he fell asleep.

 **-Rick-**

Rick sighed, running a hand through his hair as he walked away from Daryl and towards the rest of the group, his eyes immediately zoning in on Lori and Shane. When they saw him, they separated, Shane slipping around the back of the group to where Glenn was checking their ammo supply. Lori stiffened but threw him a small smile when he approached. They honestly thought he was stupid, thought he hadn't seen that they were standing beside one of another?

Rick fought the urge to roll his eyes as he walked up beside her, crossing his arms over his chest immediately. "How's Carl?"

"Hershel says he's doing well. Fever hasn't come back and when he changed the dressing, everything looked good." Rick nodded once and went to move on, Lori's hand immediately stopping him. "Rick..."

"Don't, Lori. Unless you want to talk about Carl? Let go of my arm." From across the group, Rick met Shane's eyes, saw the way Shane's neck muscles flexed, the way his eyes narrowed as he looked between Rick's eyes and Lori's hand on his arm. Rick stared him down, daring him to say something, to make a move. The rest of the group seemed oblivious to the tension stretching across their fire, Carol and Sophia laughing along with Andrea who was animatedly telling stories about her childhood, Glenn still chatting away about their ammunition and the guns he'd managed to score in their last trip out to town.

"Rick, we need to talk about this," Lori whispered, fingers tightening. Rick sighed and turned, shaking his head.

"We already talked about this Lori, and this isn't the place or the time to rehash it all." He said finally, staring at her until she nodded and let her hand slip free. "I'll be doing first perimeter." He pushed away from her, dropping to a crouch by the fire and accepting a squirrel Carol had cooked for him. He nodded his thanks, stopped by Glenn and Shane to discuss their patrol plan, and then left the group behind. He relaxed immediately once he was outside of the heat and the light from the fire, taking solace in the cool, dark of the night.

The farm yard was quiet-most of the animals that Hershel had living on the farm, they'd butchered already, smoked and stored. The rest were kept locked in their pens, extra layers around their shelters to block most of their sounds. Rick hadn't been around many farms, but it surprised him how quiet this one actually was. It took him a moment, and he had to hold his breath, in order to hear the distant singing of the crickets in the fields.

He made his way around the vegetable patch, eyes scanning over the crops, thriving in the summer sunshine. Hershel's daughters spent hours out in this garden during the day, weeding and watering, picking and storing the crops they harvested. Rick wasn't even going to pretend to believe he understood everything they were doing, but he made a mental note to ask if Carol or Andrea or maybe even Dale knew anything about gardening. If they ever found a place to call their own, it would be necessary for their survival.

A soft cracking from the treeline behind him had Rick's heart racing and his eyes immediately trailed along the fence line. He held his breath, listening hard, eyes focusing on where the continued cracking was coming from. He sighed softly when a deer - emaciated and timid- broke through the trees. He watched it as it picked along the overgrown grass, looking for food, it's ears and eyes trained on its surroundings just as Rick's own were.

Finally, the creature looked up, spotted Rick and froze, eyes wide and terrified. Rick shifted on his feet, and it bolted, leaving Rick completely alone again. Rick was surprised at the feeling of longing that hit him when the deer was out of sight. He'd always thought himself as a fighter, a lion if you will, but life has a funny way of showing you just how weak you are. Rick sighed and closed his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**-Daryl-**

Waking up to the sun rising, Daryl pushed himself away from the tree and picked his crossbow up. Stretching, Daryl let out a groan while placing a hand on the lower part of his back. Straightening up, he walked away from his spot and scoured the perimeter before he approached the other tents. At first glance, Daryl didn't see anyone up and about; he circled the house and looked in the window and spotted Rick at Carl's bedside. Removing himself before he could be seen, Daryl came around the side and stopped when he heard the hushed sounds of voices.

"We can't just leave without Carl, and Rick would never allow us to take him." Lori whispered, her voice panicked.

"He won't have any other choice. He'll be the only thing standing in between us and leaving with Carl. No one else has the balls too. Rick's alone!" Shane shot back quietly, making Daryl's blood boil.

"You're not going to hurt him are you?" Lori asked, frightened.

"If I have too," Shane remarked.

Daryl moved from his position, rounding the house the other direction and headed up the porch steps and knocked on the door. A small blonde answered.

"Yes?" She looked at Daryl confused.

"Is it alright if I talk to Rick?" Daryl asked and the girl looked at him baffled.

"Uh... yeah. Come in." The petite girl said, moving out of Daryl's way. He nodded his head and walked in the house and followed the blonde to the room, grunting at her as he passed her, and entered the room he saw Rick in.

"We need to talk," Daryl grunted at the pig, glancing at the boy on the bed.

"Now?" Rick questioned, obviously not wanting to leave Carl's side, but this couldn't wait. Daryl nodded his head.

"If it wasn't important, I wouldn't be here, Rick." Daryl pointed out in a husky tone, narrowing his eyes. Rick heaved a sigh and got up, rubbing Carl's head before he followed Daryl out of the room.

"What's so important?" The pig demanded and Daryl told Rick everything he overheard Lori and Shane say outside.

"They got one thing wrong, you aren't alone. They aren't leaving here with Carl. They want to go by themselves, they can." Daryl sneered, crossing his arms and leaned a little on his feet. Waiting for Rick to react or say something.

 **-Rick-**

Rick stared at Daryl as he talked, trying to focus on the words he was saying, but the sound of his blood pounding in his ears was overwhelming. He could feel himself shaking, anger bubbling thick and hot in his stomach, threatening to choke him. It took him a moment to realize that Daryl had stopped speaking, the redneck's hand resting on his crossbow which was always slung across his back if he wasn't aiming at something, and apparently waiting for Rick's reply.

"They have no idea who they're fucking with," he whispered finally, and the corner of Daryl's lip rose in a smirk. "They're fucking lucky I didn't kill them when I caught them fucking... now they think... they fucking think they can take my son away from me?" Rick laughed, the sound short and clipped, and he shook out his fists, trying to dispel some of the energy thrumming through him. He turned around, shoving his hands back through his hair, pulling at the strands. Who the fuck did Lori think she was? As if Shane - Just barely passed my qualifications, got put on probation more than once for drinking or fucking on the job- could protect Carl better than he could? Had Lori seriously slipped so fucking far that she was oblivious to the facts right before her face?

He spun back to Daryl, clenching his fists at his side. "They're not taking my son anywhere."

"Like I said, I got your back." Daryl nodded once, a short bob of his head. But Rick knew his group, made a point to get to know every person that joined their party and every threat they could possibly pose. Daryl, the loner, was a flight risk - but Rick would use him for as long as Daryl was there. He nodded, clapping Daryl on the shoulder once.

"We need to figure out the rest of their plan... if they're just planning on leaving as the two of them with Carl, or if there are more people in on the plan."

Daryl nodded, biting on his lower lip for a moment. "Yeah, well... this group isn't the greatest at talking' quiet. I'll keep my ear to the ground, see what I can find out."

"Good," Rick nodded and looked back towards the house. "I'm going to check with Hershel, see what he says about Carl's recovery and find out what it would take to move him, if that was necessary."

Daryl nodded again and slipped around the back of the house, leaving Rick standing in the corner alone. Rick took a deep breath, then spun on his heel, slamming his knuckles into the side of the house. The sickening crack of the siding cracking from his own flesh and bone was satisfying. The only thing better would be if it was the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and Shane's face being on the receiving end.

Rubbing at his knuckles, Rick shoved his hand into his jean pockets and made his way back to the front door of the house. He slipped back into Carl's room, taking his spot at the side of Carl's bed and grabbing the boy's small hand. "I've got your back, buddy," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss his son's forehead. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

 **-Daryl-**

It was easy for Daryl to creep through the farm unnoticed, most of these people had no idea what they were doing. The only one he had to worry about was Shane; he was the only one smart enough to take notice of anything. Which made Daryl only that much more appreciative of how instinctive his knowledge was of hunting and tracking prey; like a deer for instance, they could hear something so small and it would spook them. A deer seemed too gentle for Shane though, he was more like a dangerous grizzly bear.

Daryl wasn't surprised that Shane and Lori were no longer where they had been previously, but across the yard he could see Shane bent closely to Andrea. Was he seriously asking her to join his side? It nearly made Daryl laugh out loud, but he kept it to himself, and shook his head instead. Shane could have Andrea for all Daryl fucking cared. She wasn't any threat at all to him or Rick.

Walking over to them, he adjusted the strap of the crossbow, just seeing how quickly Shane would stop talking when he noticed Daryl approaching them. And it was pretty fast.

"M' I interrupting something?" He mumbled and Andrea shook her head, while her eyes told Daryl everything he needed to know.

"Actually, you are." The pig spoke up and Daryl's eyes flashed to him in a challenging manner. He found himself wishing for Shane to go there and give him more of a reason to pummel his ass right then and there. "So why don't you go back to your spot and stay out of our business, like you always do." Shane spat. Daryl's grip on the strap tightened, his knuckles turning white. "The hell are you still doing here anyway? No one wants you around and you obviously don't want to be a part of this group!"

Clicking his lounge, the bow came off Daryl's back and bashed into the side of Shane's face, successfully knocking him on the ground.

"Daryl?!" Andrea exclaimed, getting up and actually defending the fucking prick on the ground. "Shane's asking you a reasonable question. You had no right to attack him!"

Was this bitch serious? Daryl never hit a women before, but he sure was fucking tempted. Shane got to his feet and came at Daryl who raised the bow, resting his hand on the trigger.

"Gimme a reason," Daryl dared, a hand rested on Daryl's forearm and he looked over his shoulder as he pulled away and saw Rick standing there, gun aimed on Shane, letting Daryl know silently, he had his back.

"All of you need to calm down, and lower the weapons!" Dale's voice spoke up, and they had seemed to draw a crowd. Shane smirked at the opportunity, eyes locked on Rick.

"Is this the kind of leader you all want?" He asked, without making eye contact with the rest of the group. "Lets this asshole get away with everything." Shane motions to Daryl before he continues, "Got his son shot. He can't protect you. He can't even protect himself. "

"Better watch your mouth sunshine," Daryl hissed darkly at Shane, itching to pull the trigger. "You ain't half the man Rick is."

"You're going to stand up for him?" Shane asked with a soft chuckle, "Since when do you give a shit about Rick? He's the one that left your brother behind in Atlanta! I'm sure you haven't forgotten that." Daryl narrowed his eyes at Shane and pointed the bow at his foot, nearly pulling the trigger when Rick stopped him again.

"Don't, he wants you to sink to his level." Rick stated in a calm voice that it had surprised Daryl. "You all want to join Shane? That's fine. But my son, isn't leaving with you. You'll have to take him over my dead body."

"And mine," Daryl added gruffly.

 **-Rick-**

Shane laughed, the sound cutting through the group which had fallen silent watching the confrontation.

"You think you have a choice?" Shane asked, taking a step towards Rick. He reached out, patting down the front of Rick's shirt and laughed again. "You've always been so... naive, Rick."

"Naive to believe that my partner, who was constantly being written up or on probation because he couldn't stick with one thing, would finally change. Naive enough to believe that my wife was faithful, as was my best friend. Naive to believe that I fought my way through hell after you and Lori left me in a fucking hospital, filled with Walkers and corpses, that when I finally found you, my family, I would be relieved and happy to have your backs." Rick paused, watching Shane's temple pulse and knew his ex-partner was close to snapping. From the corner of his eye, he could see the distress between the group, people leaning over to whisper back and forth to one another.

"Here's what I do know, Shane. And all of you," he directed towards the group, looking around the circle before settling his gaze back on Shane. "I have a little boy in there that I would die for, willingly and in a heartbeat. I made a vow nearly fifteen years ago to serve and protect the people of my town, and I reckon that means the people in my group now. I know how to use weapons to protect myself and others, unlike you Shane who... if I remember correctly, failed your last qualifications and... What was that? Oh, right, shot me on accident and caused me to be in the hospital to begin with when this whole shit storm happened?"

"I don't know what the fuck you're-"

"Funny thing about abandoned hospitals - no one is there to tell you not to read something, like your own chart. This man," Rick pointed at Shane, looking back to the group again. "Is a backstabber, a cheat, and the laziest piece of shit I've ever had the pleasure of working with. And he wants you to leave with him. He wants you, as man power or bait, I don't really know. I fought my way here, for my family, for the people I love and need to protect. So now there's a choice. This isn't up for discussion, there will be no voting. It's black and white, me or Shane. Those are your options." Rick stopped, letting his gaze trail back over to Shane who was shaking his head slowly.

"You don't know fucking shit, Rick," Shane hissed, hands clenching at his sides. "You don't know shit!"

"That's all you've got?" Rick asked. "You're going to scream the same line at me repeatedly because you don't know shit, Shane. You only know that I'm right."

"You son of a bitch," Shane swore, launching himself at Rick. His fist collided with the side of Rick's face, the momentum knocking both of them to the ground. Rick reacted quickly, slamming his knee up and catching Shane's groin, using Shane's loss of concentration to flip them over and straddle Shane's hips. He slammed his fist down, catching Shane's jaw and then leaned forward, pressing his forearm against Shane's neck and pining him to the ground.

"Rick!" Lori screamed, running up from the back of the group, her eyes wide as she stared between the two men on the ground. "Rick, let him up!"

Rick ignored her, staring down at Shane. He hated him, hated him more than anything else. The irrational part of Rick's brain was even content to blame Shane for this entire thing- blame him for this fucked up world they lived in now where the dead walked among them. Shane's face was purplish, his fingers scratching at Rick's forearm, and Rick wondered what the fuck he'd ever seen in this man, why he'd ever called him a friend, a partner, a brother.

Daryl shifted behind him, knocking the back of Rick's boot with his own and Rick looked up to find the entire group staring, a mixture of shock and fear and guilt in their eyes. Slowly, Rick released his hold and stepped back, allowing Daryl to give him an arm up.

"Decide." He demanded, turning from the group to head back into the house where Carl was waiting for him.

 **-Daryl-**

"Don't know bout' you guys, but I'd rather follow Rick then this piece of shit," Daryl spat at the others before turning on his heel and walking away; he didn't give a shit what the others did. Daryl went to the porch, sitting down on a step and arched a knee on a step above his other foot. If Merle were here they wouldn't have picked a side, this is when they would steal what they needed from the group and take off during all the chaos.

That had been the plan in the first place; act like they gave a damn, hunted food for the group, and once they earned some trust and got close enough, they would take what they could carry and split. Merle was gone and for once, Daryl could make his own decisions and his own moves, and as much as he was upset that Rick ditched his brother, for some reason, he just had a gut feeling that he could trust him. Not like Shane. Hopefully, the others were smart enough to see that, but Daryl doubted it.

Shane started over to the porch and Daryl's hand dropped to his knife, placing a hand on the stairs. Ready to strike if Shane tried to get in the house.

"You want to be Rick's new wing-man? Be my guest," there was an unspoken threat in Shane's tone that Daryl caught onto. Shane walked away from the porch without another word, Daryl watching him the whole time.

Eventually, the group decided upon who they were going to join. Glenn, Dale and T- Dog decided that they were going to stick with Rick, while Andrea, Carol, Sophia, and Lori decided to join with Shane. Until they could fix up a few of the vehicles from off the highway and take off, they would set up camp on the other side of the farm.

Daryl got up as everyone else began to move around and knocked on the door to Carl's bedroom which Rick answered, looking at him curiously.

"How's the kid?" Daryl asked.

"Better. Hershel thinks he'll wake up soon," Rick informed him and noticed the others moving around. "They make their decision?" Daryl bobbed his head, humming in response.

"I'm going out to hunt," Daryl muttered, 'will you be alright on your own?' never left his lips, but Rick seemed to understand him.

"Go, I got things under control," Nodding once more, Daryl turned away and started to walk off. "Daryl?" He looked back over his shoulder at Rick, "Thanks."

"Mhm," he grunted and turned his head back around, the gravel crunching under his boots as he headed to the tree line to hunt down supper. Daryl lowered the crossbow from his arm, keeping it close at hand; he didn't want to bring back more squirrels. He was getting tired of them, honestly. Spotting some deer tracks, Daryl began to follow after them, keeping low and stepping softly.

The tracks lead deeper into the woods and further from the farm. Finally after what seemed like hours of following the tracks, Daryl found the deer in a clearing. Raising the crossbow, it twanged as he released a bolt, taking down the deer. Stepping out into the clearing, Daryl retrieved his bolt and picked up the limp deer. Behind him he heard a twig snap followed by the sounds of moaning.

Covering himself with the smell of dead deer, Daryl hid himself until the walker stumbled by and he pulled the knife, sinking it into the back of the corpses head. Pulling the knife free, Daryl cleaned it off and headed back to the farm with the deer on his shoulders.

Stepping foot back onto the property, Daryl headed back to the group. Spotting Rick by the fire, Daryl walked over to him stepping in the light of the fire. "Got to field dress it, but at least it's not squirrels." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Mind giving me a hand?" Daryl asked Rick; he could do it alone, but it would take a while. Having an extra hand would be helpful.

"Sure Daryl." Rick seemed shocked that Daryl had come back with a deer, he got up and followed Daryl so they could field dress the deer elsewhere before cooking it up.

Laying the deer on its back in a clearing of the yard, Daryl found its sternum. He cut into the sternum down to the deer's crotch, penetrating the hide and the membrane below, being careful not to pierce the guts. Pulling the guts out, starting from the crotch, Daryl handed them to Rick for disposal while with his free hand, he cut at the membrane linking the innards to the spine. Daryl did this with precision, not cutting too close to the spine, so not to cut the tenderloins. He continued to pull out the guts and hand them to Rick, who took to throwing them away in a garbage can that he had managed to find while Daryl was cutting away at the deer. Cutting the diaphragm, Daryl expected the blood already, and continued to search for the last membranes holding the cuts within the carcass, severing them and pulled the guts free.

Cutting through the center of the pelvic bone by pounding his knife through, Daryl grunted lightly at the work, perspiration breaking out along his forehead, and wiped it clean when he got through. Cutting the skin around the anus, Daryl pulled the colon out of the body cavity. Daryl removed the heart, lungs, liver and rest of the intestines and looked up at Rick. "Get the hose," he told the pig, who got up to do so, and even turned it on for Daryl who washed away the blood. Finding a rope, Daryl bound the neck of the deer and hung it from the branch of a tree. When it was secure, Daryl started by making a circular cut around the neck under the rope, and connected the cut with the one made in the stomach during the field dressing. "Grab the hide by the skin," Daryl told Rick, showing him what he meant and the pig followed his lead. "Now pull hard." As they pulled, Daryl used his knife to carefully to cut at the hide so not to puncture the skin. "Stop," Daryl prompted when they got far enough and started to skin just behind the shoulder, prompting Rick to pull again, they did so until they had the hide down to the shoulders.

The next part was going to be a bitch. Daryl cut off the front legs just above the knees, and from the inside the leg, he cut toward the chest, connecting it with the cut he had made during the field dressing. After working the hide free around the front legs with his knife, he continued to work the hide down the deer's back towards its feet and tail. Once at the tail, Daryl flicked it off with a cut from the knife, cutting through the tailbone and continued until he got the hide down to the tarsal glands and worked on sawing through the leg just before the gland. "Much easier if I had a bone saw," Daryl grunted, but managed to do it; he was exhausted but nowhere close to being done. He cut out the back strap and tenderloins first, then he cut the front legs free, followed by the hindquarters. Working his knife to the ball socket joint holding the hind quarters to the hips, he cut both tendons and then the hindquarters were free. Daryl continued to pull meat out from the ribs and neck and let out an exhausted sigh.

"That it?" Rick asked and Daryl let out a short laugh and shook his head.

"Gotta butcher up the meat before we can cook it," he said bluntly, "Why don't you do it?" He offered Rick his knife and the pig got to work while Daryl leaned against another tree and rested.

"We'll have to share this with the others." Daryl wasn't sure if Rick was making a statement or asking his opinion and shrugged his shoulders lightly in response.

"That's your call," Daryl muttered in response.

Finally, with the meat butchered and ready to cook, Rick and Daryl headed back over to the fire, stabbing the meat through spickets and began to roast the meat over the fire.

 **-Rick-**

Rick and Daryl split up the meat, smoking close to half of it to preserve it. Rick hesitated, taking a good portion of their cooked meat before he turned to Daryl. "I think we need to store this somewhere... somewhere only you and I know about. We should be making preparations for when we hit the road... food, water, extra ammo... You know the drill. By the time we are ready to split up, I highly doubt it's going to be pretty."

"Alright," Daryl nodded his agreement and collected some of the smoked meat, wrapping it up in a towel before securing it with some rope. Rick left Daryl by the fire and went in search for Glenn, Dale and T-dog. He gave them their part of the meat, all three of the men accepted gratefully, with eyes widened.

"Dude, thanks," Glenn said as he bit into a piece of the meat, licking the juice from his fingers. "We didn't really expect..."

"We're in this together," Rick cut him off, shaking his head. "I meant what I said. I watch out for my people, my team. Daryl... feels the same."

"Why don't you boys come and join us over here?" Dale asked, waving his hand back to his large RV. "I've got plenty of room, we can use the roof for a look out..." Rick nodded and gave him a small smile.

"I'll run it by Daryl. Thanks," he clapped Dale on the back and nodded goodbye to Glenn before turning towards the house. Inside he found Hershel by Carl's side, checking the dressing on Carl's shoulder.

"He woke earlier," Hershel's greeting came, though his eyes never left Carl's chest. "Said the pain wasn't too bad, but I gave him some pain meds anyways."

"Thanks," Rick nodded, moving to Carl's side and taking his son's hand. "So he's doing well?"

"Far as I can tell. Long as he stays on those antibiotics and doesn't pull his stitches... he'll be good, just like new in a few weeks."

"Thank you, really." Rick squeezed Hershel's arm, meeting the older man's eyes. "Look... We, uh, we got a deer earlier... if you and your family need anything..."

Hershel watched him for a moment, his expression guarded before he finally smiled. "Thank you, Rick. The girls and I are all set though, keep that for you and your group. I figure you'll be needed it before too long now... Beth told me what's been going on in the yard. I take it you'll all be moving out before too long?"

"Yeah..." Rick nodded slowly. "Figured we'd taken enough of your time and space now." He gave Hershel a small smile, though he could tell by the expression on the older man's face that it didn't reach his eyes.

"Well," Hershel sighed, glancing over his shoulder and pausing as if he was listening before he continued. "You've got my family's support, Rick. For some reason I like you, I think you've got a good head on your shoulders... maybe a bit hot headed, but we all have our faults. Maggie and Beth have been spending a lot of time between the members of your group and I've heard more than enough of my fair share to know where my... opinions and loyalties lie. I won't be sad when you all leave, but I know who I will be praying for."

Rick nodded and watched as Hershel finished up his dressing change before he slipped out of the room and left Rick along with Carl. Rick sighed, leaning over so that his head was beside Carl's on the pillow and he squeezed his son's hand.

"I hope we're making the right choice here, buddy," he said softly, biting on his lower lip. Guilt churned in his stomach as he pictured the conversation he would be having to have with his son soon- how do you tell your child that you're splitting with his mother in the middle of a fucking apocalypse? That he's probably never going to see her again? He closed his eyes, listening to the steady breathing, the smooth intake of breath from Carl soothing him. Carl would probably be upset... may even refuse to talk to Rick for far longer than Rick will ever be happy with but...

But Rick would make sure Carl was safe. And in the end, a pissed off but safe Carl was all Rick needed.

"I'll be back kid." Rick kissed the center of Carl's forehead, the boy shifting in his sleep and Rick smiled. He flicked the light off and slipped from the room, closing the door behind him and slipping back out of the house. Hershel was waiting for him at the front door nodded to Rick once, locking the front door behind him as he left the house. Rick returned back to Daryl, finding him sitting and staring into the fire, a cigarette smoldering between his lips.

"Hey," Daryl called in greeting, not looking up from the embers.

"Dale invited us over to where their camp was set up." Rick sat beside him, kicking his legs out before him and crossing his feet at the ankles. "We can look into it tomorrow, if you want." Daryl didn't respond, but Rick knew he'd been heard. They sat together in silence, listening to the crackling of the fire and lost in their thoughts. Rick finally laid on his side, back towards Daryl and the fire and let his eyes fall closed. He'd sleep first, knowing that without saying it Daryl would keep watch. Rick wondered how long he could trust that someone would have his back, but for now, he wasn't going to over analyze things.

 **-Shane-**

Shane watched from a distance as Daryl came back from the woods with a deer on his shoulders. Together, Rick and Daryl field dressed the deer and Shane found himself loathing them both and jealous how two of them were getting along. If he couldn't be Rick's wingman anymore, no one could, and definitely not some douche bag redneck. Shane thought he could run Daryl off, but annoyingly he wasn't going anywhere, and what pissed him off the most was that together? They were better than him.

There had to be another way to take them down... Andrea came out of her tent and Shane smiled to himself as the idea came to him. "Andrea, come here a moment. I got a job for you!" A look of surprise washed over the blondes face, looking at Shane questionably.

"For me? Sure, what can I do?"

"I just saw Daryl bring in a deer for the others and I want to know what else they got hoarded away," Shane began. "If I started poking my nose around it would be too suspicious. But, if it was you, and you pretended that you wanted to join them, no one would question it. "

"You want me to spy on them?" Andrea exclaimed, her eyes searching Shane's.

"Yes, if you can't do that, what good are ya?" Shane spat coldly.

"Okay, I'll do it!" Shane knew Andrea craved to prove her worth to everyone, no matter the cost. Which worked to Shane's advantage and he smiled again.

"I knew I could count on you!" Shane said delightfully, "Go work your magic girl."

 **-Andrea-**

Andrea licked her lower lip, slipping past the back of their camp and moving along the fence line towards the other half of the farm. Her stomach was churning, nerves causing her stomach to flutter. She looked over her shoulder and saw Shane sinking to his knees beside the fire, his eyes trailing after her as she went and she straightened her back, holding her head up higher. If Shane wanted this... she could do this. She smiled at him, even though he probably couldn't see her any longer now that she was in the dark, and turned her focus back ahead.

She let her eyes scan over to the dim firelight of the second camp. Although part of her thought that splitting up in this world where their greatest asset was sticking together, when the choice came down to Shane or Rick? That was a no brainer. Shane was quick on his feet, didn't hesitate to make any major decisions, and was hot as hell. She'd half expected Lori to end up staying with Rick, choosing her son and her family, but Lori surprised her in the end by choosing Shane's side. It didn't matter- if Andrea could prove herself then Lori wouldn't be an issue for very long.

From her side, she heard the snapping of twigs and froze, eyes jerking to the right and watching the tree line. She heard the deep, low moaning before she saw it, and then the smell hit her. She swallowed hard, stumbling back a few feet, her heart pounding in her chest. The walker jerked forward, dragging half of its leg and dragging a pile of leaves with it as it drew closer. It's groaning increased, its soul less eyes trained on the area Andrea was standing. Andrea's hand twitched at her side, her hand closing over the hunting knife Shane had handed her before sending her off.

The walker's entire body jerked the moment it hit the fence, its arms outstretched, reaching for her in the dark. Andrea felt the bile rise to the back of her throat and she tore her eyes away from it, instantly picturing the body of her sister lying dead and ripped apart beneath her. This one wasn't hurting anyone... wasn't going to suddenly climb the fence. She threw one more look at it before turning away and continuing on her trek towards the other group.

She heard the walker shuffling along behind her, following with her and knocking into the fence as it went. She quickened her pace and burst out into the firelight by Dale's RV, breathing hard by the time she reached them.

Glenn looked up, concern in his eyes as he looked Andrea up and down. "Are you okay?" He asked, hand falling to his hip where Andrea knew his gun was strapped.

"Yeah," she nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm... fine... just don't like being alone, you know?" Glenn nodded carefully, eyes trailing over her shoulder before focusing back on her. "I... Um, they aren't very..." She trailed off but Glenn nodded, seemingly understanding everything she wasn't saying. Andrea hid her smirk as he waved at the seat beside him, offering her some of the meat they had left. This was going to be way too easy.

 **-T-Dog-**

"Least you came to your senses, Shane's a selfish bastard. Rick and Daryl are already planning on gathering more supplies. What's Shane doing?" T-Dog chuckled lightly, and Andrea had to bite her lounge before she blew her own cover.

"Can I steal you away for a minute T-Dog?" Andrea asked in a sultry tone. She knew that Glenn was infatuated with the farmer's daughter, so it was likely she wouldn't get to him. T- Dog was the perfect target.

"Yeah... sure." T-Dog got up and followed Andrea around the trailer. "What's up?" Andrea forced tears into her eyes and turned on the mocha colored man.

"It's just that Shane didn't trust me. Does Rick trust you and Glenn and tell you their plans and where they keep things?" Andrea chocked on her fake tears and T-dog ate it right up.

"Of course, we're in this together. Look it's not my business to tell you. If you go to Rick and Daryl, I'm sure -" T -Dog cut off suddenly as the walker that had followed Andrea lurched from behind him, piercing his neck with a bite and Andrea's eyes flew wide in surprise as she let out a blood curling scream that rang across the camp.


	3. Chapter 3

**-Daryl-**

Daryl shot up, dropping the butt of the cigarette to the ground and grabbed his crossbow, kicking at Rick's boot franticly. "Get up!" The pig's eyes fluttered open and his gaze went to Daryl as he pushed himself off the ground.

"What's going on?" Rick demanded but didn't hesitate following after Daryl quickly.

"Don't know," Daryl shot back, following the sounds of screaming and found Andrea and T - Dog with a walker attached to his neck. Daryl shot a bolt into the walker's skull, freeing T- Dog from the roamers clutches.

"Shit." Daryl swore, knowing that they were going to have to put T-Dog down after he turned. Another person lost cause they were too fuckin' stupid to watch their own asses.

He had seen Andrea and T - Dog go behind the RV and thought nothing about it, if they were out of eyesight it was on them to look after themselves. Not him, or anyone else for that matter.

"What happened?" Rick demanded as T-Dog choked on his own blood unable to do anything about it before he changed. Killing the dead was one thing... but killing someone alive was different.

"I... I don't know!" Andrea's tone was high and filled with fear and shock. "We... were just talking!" She lied, not admitting it was the walker that had tried to attack her before speaking with T- Dog. "It came out of nowhere!"

"Why are you all just standing there? Someone put him out of his misery!" Dale yelled, jumping in the conversation. A gunshot fired and T-Dog fell lifelessly to the ground. Everyone turned to see where the shot had come from and Shane was standing there.

 **-Rick-**

"Can't protect your people... only took you one night and you're already down a man?" Shane shook his head, clicking the safety on his gun before sliding it into the back of his pants. Behind him, Carol carried Sophia, her hand in Lori's as they approached cautiously.

Rick swallowed hard and tore his eyes away from Shane to look down at T-dog, the pool of blood beneath him spreading out and soaking into the earth. Behind him, Daryl moved back, heading around the back of the group. Rick waited, looking up when Daryl returned, a scowl on his face.

"Fence was tampered with. Broke through about there." Daryl pointed and Rick followed his finger, moving forward to look at the fence for himself. The fencing had been cut at the main post, just short enough so that it would rest in place but with any amount of pressure, would collapse. Rick felt his blood pressure increase, heat rising to his face and he clenched his fists before stalking back towards the group.

"You killed someone," he hissed, closing the distance before himself and Shane so they were inches from one another. "You fucking killed someone, and for what? To prove a fucking point?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shane replied, smirking down at Rick. Rick snapped, letting his fist fly until it connected with Shane's face.

"How could you put someone else's life in fucking danger? For what?" Rick was yelling, moving towards Shane again but Daryl's hand on his arm stopped him. Shane wiped at his lip, chasing the blood with his tongue as he glared back at Rick, eyes hard and cold.

"You can't protect your people," Shane glared and glanced over at Dale and Glenn who were staring down at T-Dog's body. "You two are more than welcome to join the winning side."

Glenn looked at Shane then, disgust clear on his face. "I am on the winning side," he said softly before turning to Rick to give him a small nod of his head. Dale didn't speak, only turned with Glenn to get a sheet from inside of his RV to take care of T-Dog's body.

Shane looked furious as he watched them leave and he spun back to Rick, eyes flashing in the dim firelight cast out from the other side of the RV. "Well, won't be long until they're dead too."

"Leave," Rick pointed towards Shane's makeshift camp and then turned his gaze onto Lori. "Take him, and get out of my fucking sight, Lori."

Lori nodded once, dropping Carol's hand and reaching for Shane. He allowed himself to be pulled away, though his stare never left Rick's face. Rick watched them leave, Andrea trailing slowly after them, her entire body shaking. He sighed and saw Carol and Sophia were still standing there, eyes trained on the walker's corpse. Rick crossed over the body, watching Carol's face carefully.

"You're welcome to stay, if you want," he told her and her eyes flicked up, meeting his. She was timid, shy, but there was a fire burning there that shocked Rick. She cleared her throat and nodded once before she spoke.

"We'll see."

"You know where to find us," he shrugged and turned from her. "Daryl?" Daryl came to his side and Rick grabbed a shovel from the back of the RV and tossed it over to the redneck. "I'm gonna fix the fence. You got this?"

"On it," Daryl nodded and followed to where Glenn and Dale were moving away with T-Dog's body, wrapped tightly in the white sheet. Rick moved towards the fence, eyes scanning the ground and stopping on a knife that was stuck into the ground on the other side. He laughed to himself, shaking his head as he pulled it from the ground. If he had any doubt about the fence, it was gone now. He flipped the blade over, the metal reflecting in the light before he stood and threw it into the woods, satisfied when he heard it strike.

The sooner they could get the fuck out of there and away from Shane, the better. Shane had changed, and not just because he was too busy screwing with Rick's wife. Rick found a large downed branch easily enough by the tree line and worked quickly to get it in place for the fence. It wouldn't hold for long - but would work for the rest of the night. He pushed away from the fence and returned back to the fire by the RV. Shane would stop at nothing to bring Rick down, he knew that now. It wouldn't matter how many lives, or whose lives, he wasted in the process. And Rick was more determined than ever to get Carl away from him and Lori. If Lori had chosen that to be with? She wasn't the woman he fell in love with, nor was she fit to be Carl's mother, and hell would freeze over before he let his son go to that.

 **-Daryl-**

Daryl walked away from Rick, following after Glenn and Dale, searching for the right place to bury T- Dog's body. The Korean once threw a fit over Daryl trying to burn their people and after that, Daryl hadn't tried to do it again. The kid might have seemed weak, but Daryl could see that there was more to him; he was a quick thinker, and even faster on his feet.

"Here should be good," Glenn said as they came to an opening between two trees. Daryl nodded his head quietly and walked to the area, beginning to scoop the earth into the shovel. Slowly but surely making progress with the grave, he was unable to keep from wondering just how many graves he would have to dig, and how many more people he would have to bury.

Pulling himself out of the grave, Daryl stepped out of the way, allowing Dale and Glenn to lower T-Dog's body into the ground.

"We should say something," Glenn said once the body was laid in the ground and they had backed away, stopping Daryl before he could cover the body up. Looking between the two, Daryl chewed on the inside of his cheek, not knowing what to say. Finding the whole idea awkward and useless. Who the fuck was even listening?

"T-Dog was a good man," Dale solemnly said, speaking first. "He'll be missed dearly." Daryl grunted, agreeing with the words, and Glenn lowered his head allowing himself to cry. When he was sure that no one else was going to say anything, Daryl began to shovel the dirt on the body.

When they were finished, Daryl walked away with the shovel in hand as Glenn and Dale figured out a way to make a cross for T-Dog's grave. Putting the shovel up, he found Rick and approached him, taking a moment before he spoke.

"It's probably safe if we stick closer together, least until we can get away from that prick." He told Rick, obviously talking about Shane. "I'll set up outside the RV tomorrow." It was safer to do things during the day; with the walkers roaming around, and Shane acting the way he was, it was hard to figure which was the most danger.

"Maybe someone should keep an eye on Shane. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, "Daryl suggested, more than willing to be the one that watched out for the other pig. Rick's emotions might have get to him if he heard something that would fire up his temper.

"Alright," Rick answered shortly, his thoughts a million miles away from what Daryl was saying to him. Without another word, Daryl walked away from Rick and headed over to the side of the farm, finding a spot that Shane wouldn't spot him in and crouched down, staring intensely at the tent a few feet in front of him.

The majority of the rest of the evening was uneventful, at one point Rick came up behind Daryl.

"Hey, why don't you get some rest?" Daryl shook his head shortly. "I need you to be focused, not sleep deprived. I will be fine." Daryl doubted that, but that stern tone was back in Rick's voice and Daryl just knew he wouldn't win the argument.

"You need anything, come get me," Daryl muttered as he stood to his feet and faced Rick. The former officer nodded his head once and Daryl walked off, heading back over to the RV.

Glenn and Dale were already sleeping inside, Daryl found a spot next to the fire pit and laid down on the grass, hands tucked behind his head. Staring at the stars above him in the sky for a few minutes, feeling his eyelids begin the drift closed.

Soon, falling asleep much quicker then Daryl had expected himself too.

 **-Rick-**

The rest of the night passed by and the moment he saw the sun starting to rise over the back of the farm, Rick picked himself up from the ground and picked his way back over to his side of the farm. It wouldn't do well for them to get caught watching Shane and his group - he'd have to talk to Daryl about keeping an eye out around their area. One of them would have to be on guard at all times. Rick knew he could theoretically get Glenn or Dale involved- either man would be more than willing to help out if asked. But somehow, Rick knew it would freak them out to think that Shane was purposefully trying to sabotage them and he didn't need them joining Shane and his ridiculous ways because they were afraid of him.

Daryl was different - he wouldn't be scared that easily, he would give hell right back if it came down to it. Rick could admit that he was grateful it was his side that Daryl decided to choose. The bowman was not one he'd ever want to seriously piss off. Briefly, Rick wondered if Daryl was playing him... He had left his brother at the top of that building, and although he'd made the trek back with Daryl to rescue Merle, that didn't necessarily mean that all was forgiven.

Rick walked into the camp, seeing Daryl laying with his head resting on a backpack, his bow on his chest and already loaded. His eyes were closed, but Rick knew he was awake. He entertained the idea of asking him, only for a moment, before shaking it away. 'Hey, Daryl, you still pissed I might have killed your brother and are you secretly planning on taking revenge by staking me out for the walkers?' Yeah. Not going to happen.

"You moved your stuff," he said instead and Daryl opened one eye to look at him.

"Yup," he answered and shut his eyes again. Rick cleared his throat and stirred the fire, looking up when the RV doors opened.

"Hershel was looking for you," Dale said as he came to sit by the fire. He had a can of beans with him and poked a hole in the top before shoving it into the coals. "Something about Carl-"

Rick was already on his feet, glancing down at Daryl who nodded once and was already pushing himself into a sitting position. First watch - Daryl had it covered.

Rick made his way over to the house, knocking once before he pushed the door open without waiting for a response. He walked down the hallway quickly, heading straight for the front room that had been Carl's hospital room for the past week and a half and shoved into the door with his shoulder.

"Dad!" Carl was awake, propped up on pillows, and smiling the moment he saw his Dad enter the room.

"Carl!" Rick fell onto the side of the bed, arms immediately going around Carl's body and pulling him against his chest. Although he'd known Carl had woken up before, here and there for sips of water and bites of food, actually hearing his son's voice? Rick didn't bother to hide the tears as they spilled from his eyes. "Carl, god, Carl..."

"I'm okay, Dad," Carl mumbled against Rick's shirt, small hands squeezing around his Dad's back. "Where's Mom?"

"Buddy..." Rick trailed off, pulling back and wiping his son's long hair back from his eyes. He helped Carl settle back into the pillows, checking that he was comfortable and happy and that he didn't need anything. Carl sighed, and asked the question again, pushing away Rick's hands when he moved to adjust the pillows again. "Alright... alright..." Rick relented and pulled his hands into his lap, sighing once. "We've got to talk, little man..."

 **-Daryl-**

Daryl noticed movement from the other side of the farm, and Lori stepped out of the tent as he pushed himself to his feet, approaching the brunette women. "You might want to go inside," he told her. Though Lori and Rick were at odds, she had the right to know about her son.

Daryl didn't blame her for the stupid shit Shane did. Lori didn't need him to say more and rushed off inside. But the moment Shane stepped out and headed for the house, Daryl stepped in his way, placing a hand in his chest. "Not you."

"You going to stop me?" Shane snapped darkly, slapping Daryl's hand away.

"Damn right." Daryl didn't budge.

"I don't understand you Daryl, I thought you hated Rick for leaving your brother behind! Now you're suddenly on his side?" Shane remarked, narrowing his eyes. "You should be with me. Not with Rick."

Usually, Daryl would have told the pig he didn't have to explain himself, but he was stalling Shane from going inside. "I ain't gonna pretend my brother's not a dick. Merle got his ass left on that roof because he was being a tool. No one's fault but his own!"

It had taken some time for Daryl to figure that out, but now that he did; Daryl was going to have Ricks back, for at least trying to go back for Merle. No one else would have risked their lives for an asshole like Merle. And, honestly, Daryl didn't blame them either; his older brother had never played nice with others, including Daryl. Rick had done right by him, and Daryl was happy to repay the favor.

"So what, now you're Rick's little bitch?" Shane smirked and Daryl landed a punch to the pig's jaw. Watching him stumble back was more than satisfying.

"I ain't no bodies bitch," Daryl growled darkly, glaring Shane down.

"Rick thinks so, why do you think he always asks you to do things for him?" Shane asked, still trying to cause a rift through the two as he cradled his jaw. Or get Daryl to walk away so he could get to the house, but still the redneck didn't budge or let up in the slightest.

"You don't fuckin' get it," Daryl scoffed at Shane, deciding not to explain it. He didn't have too, Rick and him, they did things for each other. Whether it was spoken or not, they understood each other and they both knew what needed to be done. It was simple, really.

"I understand perfectly," Shane gritted his teeth, "I was his partner too once, remember? You see what he did to me. What do you think he'll do to you?"

"I'm nothin' like you, Shane. I wouldn't betray someone that trusted me, or fuck their wife!" Shane struck Daryl in the jaw with a fist, and the redneck spat on the ground.

"You don't know shit, you inbred piece of-"

"That's enough!" Rick's voice shouted and Daryl turned his head noticing that in his arms was Carl. Shane exhaled slowly, and rubbed his head.

"Hey buddy, glad to see you up and about." His tone changed so fast it made Daryl's head spin and he shot a final look at Shane, knowing exactly why he was doing it.

Looking back at the boy, Daryl backed down, relieved to see that he was still alive, he then looked at Rick and gave him a nod of his head.

 **-Rick-**

Rick felt Carl shift in his arms, the boy giving Shane a small smile.

"Excuse us," Rick said as he finished moving down the stairs. Shane opened his mouth to speak, but Rick cut him off. "Carl's awake, but he's still pretty tired. No company now." He nodded once more at Daryl and turned his back on Shane to head back towards their camp area. Lori appeared at the top of the steps, tears shining her eyes. Rick gave her one glance, swallowing hard before he turned from her and walked away. He didn't need to turn to know that Daryl was following after him and if he strained his ears, he could hear Shane talking quickly to Lori.

"Carl!?" Dale's eyes widened as he saw the three of them approach and he was instantly on his feet.

"Do you mind?" Rick asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Of course not! Please!" Dale moved around the fire pit and opened up the door to the trailer, holding it open for Rick to step inside. He carried Carl over to one of the beds and laid him down gently. "You okay, buddy?" he asked, giving his son a small smile.

"Yeah... I'm good," Carl gave him a smile back, fighting back the grimace on his face.

"I've got some pain killers... but there's not many. Do you want me to give you half of one?"

"I think I'm okay right now, Dad... We're not going to be moving around, right?"

"No, you're going to stay in here and get some rest. I promised Hershel that I would make sure that you stayed in bed and that you could do that in the RV just as well as in the house. He told me that if he saw you up and about he would make you come back into the house."

"But Dad... I want to help..." Carl whined and Rick smiled, despite himself. Sometimes he had to remind himself how young his son actually was... Rick reached forward, slowly carding his fingers through Carl's long hair and pushing it back from his face.

"You can help when you're healed, okay Buddy? I'll be expecting it."

"Okay, Dad," Carl nodded, his eyelids fluttering as he fought to keep himself awake. Rick chuckled to himself and counted back from ten until Carl was completely asleep again. From the door of the RV, Daryl walked up the steps and handed over a blanket Rick had seen Daryl use at night. He met Daryl's eyes and Daryl gave him a look telling him not to argue and to just accept.

"Thanks," Rick whispered, taking the blanket and spreading it out over Carl's body and tucking it gently in around his shoulders. He itched to stay there, running his fingers through his son's hair, wathing him breathe and sleep so he knew he was there and real and alive, but he knew there were things he had to take care of and he would prefer Carl to be asleep for them. He kissed the top of Carl's head once and then motioned for Daryl to leave with him. Daryl closed the RV door behind them and they joined Dale and Glenn at the fire.

"So," Glenn said after a moment, shifting in the camping chair he was sitting in and poking at the fire.

"Carl is awake," Rick said as he stared into the fire. He closed his eyes and let himself think about the fight he had with Lori inside of Hershel's dining room.

 _"You're not taking my son from me!" Lori screamed, fists tightening at her sides. "Shane can take care of him, just as good as you! He'll be safe. Shouldn't you be happy about that?"_

 _"Are you kidding Lori? You want me to give up my son to a group of people who would no sooner shove him to the walkers than protect him? I know you and Shane, I've seen it. You're weak, have no loyalty or respect for anyone other than yourselves, and I'm not handing my son over to that!"_

 _"He won't go with you! I won't let him!"_

 _"I didn't choose this, Lori. You did. You made this happen."_

 _"I would do it all over again, too." Lori hissed, closing the distance between them. "I've loved Shane for a while Rick, and all he's ever wanted was to be my family, Carl's family."_

 _"Is that why he shot me in the field?" Rick whispered, swallowing hard as he put the pieces together. The look that crossed Lori's face was all he needed for confirmation._

 _"He... he didn't. It was the-"_

 _"My back was turned, but I'm not an idiot, Lori." He watched as the fury fled into her face, and for a moment he wondered how he ever found her attractive... She opened her mouth, but stopped short when a third voice spoke._

 _"I want to go with my Dad." Carl was standing in the door way, knees shaking with the effort and Rick was immediately at his side, helping him to stand. "I choose, Dad."_

"Carl is awake, and we need to make plans to move out." Rick looked up, looking at the three men around the fire, each one nodding in turn.

There was a sense of relief that came from Rick now that Carl was up and about, even though the boy was still in recovery. One less thing to worry about, but there was now another pressing matter.

"Shane plans to go to Fort Benning," Rick pointed at the map, "I am thinking we go the opposite direction, and see what we can find." It wasn't much of a plan, but at least it was a start.


	4. Chapter 4

**-Shane-**

Rick and Daryl were both gone; Rick on a supply run and Daryl had left a few minutes to go hunting for food. Proving, once more to Shane, how incapable they were to take care of Carl. Lori and he would never leave the kid alone- not when he was healing like he was, unable to defend himself or provide for himself. Hell, the kid was just that, a fucking kid. He hadn't even seen Rick trying to show him how to shoot or defend himself. Honestly, the kid was going to be more fucking work than he would be worth. But then Lori had to drop the bomb on him that she was pregnant. He wanted to strangle her at that. Who the fuck got pregnant during a goddamn apocalypse? At least they could use the kid to take care of the baby. Shane had always wanted a family- the wife, kids, house and yard, the whole nine. Apparently life thought it would be funny to give him that in a world where 'life' didn't exist anymore.

He stalked around the back of the house, looking towards the tree line to see if the Redneck was anywhere nearby. Only Dale was with Carl now, he realized. Glenn's stupid army backpack that he always took on runs were gone, so he must have gone with Rick. He made his way over to the camp, ready for Daryl to come stalking out of the woods or the old man to come around the corner at any minute. Gratefully, he was met with silence. Shane didn't actually know where Dale was, not that it mattered much. What was the old man gonna do to stop him? Approaching the RV in a cocky manner, he popped open the door and entered the unit, going to the back room where Carl laid in the bed sound asleep.

He could already see the look of joy on Lori's face. Since Carl had woken up, she'd been fucking crying herself to sleep every single night because the kid had chosen Rick. He half wanted to remind her that so did _she_ before this shitstorm had happened. Their affair had been cut short soon after Carl had been born, and another spike of hate ran through him. Rick, always fucking Rick. Everyone always chose him. Not that Rick had _anything_ Shane didn't have...

Shane stared down at the sleeping boy and rubbed at his head. It didn't matter anymore, he would get Carl, he got Lori, and he'd managed to pilfer half of the camp he was now standing in while Rick had been distracted with Carl in the farm house. They were set, ready to put this farm in their rearview mirror the moment he scored the kid. Lowering down, he was just about to scoop the boy in his arms when he felt himself being pulled around. Dale's blue eyes were wide and angry, and the old man shot a quick fist at Shane, striking Shane's cheek and started to yank him back out of the RV.

"You are not welcome in my RV," the old man hissed. It wasn't hard for Shane to break the weaker man's grip and he lunged on Dale, wrapping his hands around Dale's throat cutting off his airway. A choking gag left the old man's lips and he gripped at the hands tightened around his throat, trying to loosen the grip. Tears stinging in his eyes and garbled words fell from his mouth.

"Stop it!" A smaller voice belonging to Carl caught Shane's attention and he automatically let go, backing off. Giving Carl an apologetic look, rubbing his head, he stepped back towards the kid.

"Hey, buddy, you're awake!"

"You. Need. To. Leave. Now. I am telling my Dad about this!" Shane flinched, not because he was afraid of Rick, but because of the venom in Carl's tone. The kid had never actually _hated_ him before and he wondered just what lies Rick had poured into the kids head... Throwing a glare at Dale, Shane stepped over the old man gasping and coughing on the ground and stormed out of the RV, slamming the door behind him. This wasn't over, not even close. He had to get Carl to see that he and his mother were better suited to take care of him, better than an old man and the band of losers his Dad had occupied...

 **-Rick-**

"Glenn!" Rick whispered, motioning the younger man over as he pressed his back against the side of the building they were scouting out. Glenn appeared at his side, giving Rick a quick nod and letting him know he would cover Rick. Together, they crept around the front of the building, picking their way through the debris that littered the sidewalk, until they came to the front door of the shop. They'd already gone through the small grocery store, scoring a few cans of food, and were now at the little pharmacy.

Rick was grateful and also wary that they hadn't come across any walkers as of yet. The doors to the grocery store had been stuck open by an upturned rack of shopping carts, and if there had been any walkers inside? They were long gone. Rick was also surprised at how much he appreciated the young Asian's company. Glenn was quick on his feet, smart and resourceful. He had already known that from their first run together in Georgia, but the man hadn't stopped impressing him since then.

Glenn turned his body towards the street, his eyes scanning up and down as Rick pressed his face up against the murky glass, trying to peer inside. "I can't see anything," he whispered, but they both knew that meant nothing. "Was there a door around back?"

"Employee exit. Opens out and the way is clear. No handle from the back..." Rick nodded and took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before exhaling slowly.

"Alright, let's do this."

It was a hit or miss - usually a hit - on whether or not a door would be opened. If it was locked, that meant that someone had tried to protect themselves and was more than likely still inside in their decomposing undead form. If it was unlocked... well... it was unlocked. The pharmacy door was stuck from months of disuse and grime, but with a good, quick tug, it creaked open, alerting anything nearby of their presence. Beside him, Glenn held up his blade before him, poised and ready for anything that may be coming through the door.

They waited, listening, barely breathing, before Rick dared to pull open the door completely so they could slip inside.

The pharmacy was a mess - racks and shelves were overturned, supplies strewn across the floor. But, from what Rick could tell, it was quiet. Maybe they were in luck... Rick pointed to the left side of the storefront and Glenn nodded, turning in that direction, eyes already scanning the upturned products on the floor for anything they might need. Rick turned towards the right, hoping he could at least find some Tylenol or something incase Carl ended up with a fever or his pain started to come back...

He found a large bottle, two shelves in and bit back the triumphant cry. He picked it up, shoving it in the shoulder bag he was carrying and couldn't fight back the smile. Maybe things were starting to look up.

A shout from across the room quickly wiped the smile from his face and he threw himself around the shelving unit he was searching to make his way across the store. Glenn was sitting against the wall, breathing hard, a streak of black-colored blood across his cheek.

"Careful of the shelves," Glenn motioned with his hand and Rick looked down to see the walker Glenn had killed was half pinned to the ground, his long, decrepit fingers wrapped tightly around Glenn's ankle and a knife sticking out of the back of his head.

"Noted." Rick replied, reaching his hand down to help Glenn to his feet. Things were looking up - at least neither one of them was dead.

 **-Daryl-**

Daryl wanted to keep the deer meat they had saved but they still had to eat something. Especially Carl, who needed the nutrition for strength. Squirrels weren't enough though, so Daryl figured he could try to catch some fish in the lake he had spotted on the map. There were more walkers then usual out in the woods, and Daryl had to be careful as he crept through, taking them down using his knife instead of his bolts.

Coming to the lake, Daryl waded into the water slowly and waited patiently, shallowing out his breath as he waited for the fish to come swimming back to him. In a quick movement, he brought down a bolt, piercing the fish with the tip. Removing the fish from the bolt, he tossed the fish to the shore and Daryl continued to spear the fish in the lake until he had managed to get a large pile.

Walking out of the water, Daryl bundled up the fish with a net he'd brought and picked them up before he headed back to the farm. Taking out the walkers on the way back, he made a mental note to tell Rick about the strange amount of walkers that were in the woods.

Entering the RV, when he had made it back safely, he found Carl bent over Dale on the ground. "What happened?" he asked, quickly joining Carl.

"Shane broke in and attacked Dale when he tried to kick him out, " Carl explained and Daryl had to hold back his temper.

"You okay?" he asked Carl who gave him a nod. Daryl helped Dale to his feet, looking him over.

"I'm fine," Dale assured. "He's out of control," Dale muttered, obviously talking about Shane.

"Rick and I will handle him," Daryl said evenly, trying to keep his anger from his voice.

"I'm going to keep my eye out for Rick," Dale said and left Daryl and Carl alone in the RV and slipped outside. Daryl shifted on his feet and lowered the fish on the table, clearing his throat. "You ever gutted a fish?" Carl shook his head at the question. "I'll show you."

Daryl motioned for Carl to take a seat and when he did, Daryl slid in beside him. Handing the knife to Carl, Daryl closed his hand over Carl's smaller one to carefully show the boy how to cut the fish up, remove the guts and bones from the inside. "Now you try," he said, letting Carl do it by himself while watching him carefully.

Daryl beamed at Carl, removed the Sherriff's hat from his head, and ruffled his hair. "You're pretty good at that," he praised when Carl had done it correctly and Carl smiled back at Daryl.

"Thanks." Both of their eyes flicked to the door upon hearing it open and Rick stepped inside the RV. "Dad!" Carl exclaimed and Daryl moved out of his way, letting to boy go to his father to give him a hug. "Daryl showed me how to gut a fish!"

"Did he now?" Rick asked with a soft smile, looking at Daryl who gave him a nod of the head. "Why don't you finish up so I can talk to Daryl, okay?" Carl nodded and excitingly went back to gutting the rest of the fish. Once Carl sat down, Daryl followed Rick outside, closing the door behind him.

"Dale told me he had a run in with Shane," Rick stated and Daryl grunted in response with a nod of his head.

"Told Dale we'd talk to Shane once you got back," Daryl admitted. "How it turn out?"

"Better than expected," Rick said lightly and motioned Daryl to follow him to the other side of the farm.

 **-Rick-**

Rick exhaled slowly as he walked beside Daryl across the farm. He could feel his blood boiling as he thought of Shane and Dale's story. How _dare_ Shane come and try to take Carl like that. The moment he'd walked back into camp and seen the look on Dale's face along with his bloodied knuckles and bruising neck, he barely had to ask what the hell happened. He'd already known. Glenn dropped their supplies to the table and immediately was at Dale's side.

He checked on Carl, making sure his son was okay, and then walked to the edge of the camp with Daryl. It was decided quickly that something needed to happen, and they already knew they were the ones to do it. Rick had loaded his pistol, directed Glenn to unload what he could away in the RV so it was protected and kept safe, and then they were off. They were halfway across the farm yard now when Rick's stomach twisted.

"I don't know what to do," Rick said suddenly, stopping both he and Daryl in their tracks. He turned to the redneck and shook his head. "What the hell am I supposed to do about Shane?"

"What do you mean?" Daryl asked, cocking his head to the side as he met the sheriff's eyes. He turned his body to Rick and Rick was suddenly glad he'd found an unlikely friend throughout all this crap. They barely knew each other, but already Daryl had Rick's back better than Shane ever had. Rick needed to know what Daryl thought... the archer's opinion _mattered_.

"He's a destructive force. He's hell bent on destroying everything that means anything to me." Rick sighed, biting down on his lower lip. "You know what I really want to do?"

"What?" Daryl pressed, turning away from Rick and looking ahead of them where they could see Lori and Shane talking in hushed voices over their fire, avoiding even Carol and Andrea who were sitting close by, trying to appear like they weren't trying to listen.

Rick chuckled, the sound cold and clipped before he answered honestly, "I want to kill him. In a world where every fucking thing is against us, I want to kill someone alive. What the hell does that make me?" he whispered, turning his head to study Daryl's expression.

Daryl stared at Rick for a while and shrugged his shoulders lightly. "I dunno..." he began slowly. "I don't think that makes you a bad person," Daryl said slowly, as if he was still piecing it all together. "When we were back at the pharmacy _we_ killed those guys. We had too, you know that as much as I do." Daryl paused for a moment and Rick nodded slowly. "If we don't do something about Shane, he won't stop. He'd kill you if he had a chance... in a heartbeat. You said you were willing to die for your son, right?" Rick nodded his head, and Daryl continued. "Prove it, cause in the end? It's gonna be you, or him. Just how things are now. Sometimes we have to kill the living, to keep surviving; not for us, but for our group. For Carl."

Rick nodded once, letting Daryl's words roll around in his head. Part of him knew that Daryl was right - it was past the point where Shane could be anything but good or a resource to their group. He was a threat, to Rick and therefore to Carl. What he'd said was completely true: Shane was selfish, and he would do anything and everything he could to make sure he was the one on top. Right now, he wanted Lori and Carl. But the moment they got in his way? Rick knew in his heart Shane wouldn't hesitate to eliminate any threat towards himself.

Rick exhaled slowly. If he were to be completely honest... This Shane wasn't all that different from the old world Shane. In this new world, Shane had nothing to bind him or hold him back, no rules to strap him down or control him. If there was anyone here that knew Shane the best? Rick was it. Years, wasted. That's exactly how Rick felt now. He'd spent years at Shane's side, trusting and depending on the other man to have his back. When he'd first woken up in that goddamn hospital, he knew that if Shane was still alive? Lori and Carl were safe with him and he'd been relieved and held onto the fact to get him through.

But Shane was never... never truly the friend Rick wanted to believe he was. "Alright," Rick said finally, rolling his shoulders and running his hand over the butt of his pistol. "You with me?" Rick asked Daryl, really hoping that Daryl wasn't going turn on him now. After everything they had done- and what they were about to do.

Daryl gave Rick a bob of the head. "M' with you." A smile touched Rick's lips, not feeling like Daryl would lie to him, the archer had never done it before. Rick clapped Daryl on the back, squeezing his shoulder tightly before facing forwards again. He felt Daryl shift beside him, adjusting the strap of his bow over his shoulder, and Rick nodded once more before he spoke.

"Let's go."

 **-Shane-**

Shane spotted Rick and Daryl approaching and he pushed himself from the tree he had been leaning against to meet the two half way. Shane saw the way Carol and Andrea instantly tensed as the two women turned their gaze upon the approaching men and in order to keep up his appearance, that he actually gave a damn about the others that had chosen his side, he squeezed both woman on the shoulder as he passed, giving them a reassuring smile. Lori moved to follow him and Shane shook his head, causing her to stop short. Lori was maybe the one exception, so long as she kept giving Shane what he wanted and continued being easy to have by his side.

"You came in _our_ camp, tried to take _my_ son, and attacked Dale?" Rick demanded, furious, not bothering to keep his tone lowered. "You honestly think you can do whatever you want?"

"You gonna stop me Rick? Or you gonna fetch your new pet to do your dirty work for you?" Shane threw Daryl a cocky grin and he growled, stepping forward, only to be held back by Rick's hand pressing against his chest. "My, you sure know how to tame your bitches don't you?" Rick didn't even dignify that with a response, instead he threw a fist; Shane barley dodged the strike and upper cut Rick in the gut.

A gasp of air left Rick's lips and he found himself on his knees on the ground. Daryl was there, jumping in and successfully landing a shot to Shane's face. Shane stammered back from Rick, turning on Daryl, his eyes flickering dangerously. With Shane's back on Rick, and advancing on Daryl, he didn't notice Rick clamber to his feet. Shane drew his gun, aiming it at Daryl, who extended his arms daring Shane to take a shot.

"You gonna shoot me, Pig? Best pray you shoot me in the head!" Daryl snapped, not showing any fear to Shane.

Shane's finger grazed against the trigger, curling around the small piece of metal and lifting the pistol up to aim at Daryl's face. Shane sneered. This piece of shit had no right to come into _his_ camp, fuck with _his_ business and then _insult_ him.

He waited, waited for the sharp intake of breath, the realization in the eyes that this moment would be the last, inevitable for anyone, no matter how brave they wanted to pretend to be. This wasn't the first man Shane had killed, and he sure as hell wouldn't be the last. As he flexed his finger and pulled the trigger in, Shane's arm was ripped sideways and the shot rang out, going wide as Rick's hands clamped down on his forearm hard.

Daryl moved quickly, elbowing Shane's nose and hearing it snap, a pained scream echoing across the farm; the gun fell from Shane's grip and onto the ground at their feet.

"Stop it!" Someone yelled, but all Shane could see was red, he went for Rick's revolver that laid in the holster attached to his belt. Gripping the butt of the gun, he was about to tug when he heard another yell; this one breaking the fight up.

"Walkers!" All three of the men stopped in place, their gaze shifting, focusing on the large herd coming down upon the farm.

Drawn in by the gunshot and the scream that had left Shane's lips, Rick automatically loosened his grip on Shane, shoving him forward. "Daryl warn Hershel and the girls! I'll get Carl! We'll meet back at the RV!" The redneck took off without a second to spare and Rick gave Shane one last look before he was running back towards the RV, his pistol drawn in his left hand and his dagger raised in his left.

"Fuck!" Shane swore, twisting his body to shove himself up off the ground. "Move!" he hollered, running towards Lori's side and grabbing her arm to spin her around. "Car, now!"

 **-Rick-**

Rick threw himself against the door of the RV, stabbing the walker blocking the door and kicking it away as if fell into a heap at his feet. He ripped the door open, eyes wide as he scanned the trailer for Carl. "Carl?" he screamed, throwing himself down the small hallway to the back, throwing open the curtain to the bedroom and the bathroom door. "Carl?"

"Dad!" Rick's head snapped up and he spun back around towards the door.

"Where are you?" Rick demanded, heart beating in his chest when he realized that Carl wasn't in the RV. He fought through three more walkers that had come to the RV from his yelling and clambered up onto the picnic table. "Carl?"

"Dad!" Rick looked up and saw Carl on his hands and knees on top of the RV, Dale sitting beside him with a shotgun aimed and ready, pointed to the end of the RV.

"He's okay, Rick!" Dale gave Rick a quick nod before he turned his attention back to the farm yard. "What the plan, Rick?"

"Where's Glenn? We've got to move."

"He was with Maggie, Hershel's daughter... Not sure where they went off too." Rick swore under his breath and turned towards the back fence behind the house, swearing again when he saw how many walkers were swarming the back of the house. He couldn't even count how many there were... They couldn't wait for Glenn.

"We need to move, now!" Rick jumped from the table, pointing a finger at Carl to tell him to wait on the top of the RV until he was ready for him, and turned to start chucking things from their camp into the opened trailer. Dale made his way down, his shot gun firing off twice. Rick ran to the other side of the RV, slamming his blade into the skull of the remaining walker, and Dale gave him a nod in thanks. "Get in the RV. You've got the supplies. We'll follow you."

Dale nodded and ran into the RV, slamming and locking the door behind him. Rick climbed the ladder quickly, motioning for Carl to come to the edge. "Let's go buddy, we got to be quick, okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Carl nodded and followed after his dad, sticking close to his side as they made their way to the other side of the camp where the cars were parked.

"First one, get into it." Rick ordered, firing off three shots to kill the walkers in their path - noise didn't matter now. There was no way for them to move undetected, not when they were this grossly outnumbered. "Go!" Carl bolted before him, ripping open the backdoor of the first car they came to and throwing himself in. Rick ran after him and then stopped cold. Both tires he could see were slashed. He ran around the car, and then spun to the next. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

He should have shot Shane, should have just drawn and shot point blank through Shane's stupid fucking head. Most of the walkers seemed to be on the other side of the house, heading towards a screaming Andrea, but Rick knew it wouldn't be long before they were all over the land. He ripped the door open and reached for Carl, giving him a sad smile when he saw how Carl's hand was rubbing over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Rick's voice broke but Carl shook him off and slipped from the car. The sound of the RV starting up made Rick's stomach flip and he was powerless as Dale drove off, plowing down walkers and the fence that was in his path to get to the road. He probably expected that Rick would be right behind him... "We gotta go on feet buddy, I'll carry you?"

"No, you need your hands." Carl shook his head quickly and reached for the spare gun Rick had behind his back, tucked into his pants. Carl flicked off the safety, curled his hands around the butt and wrapped his finger around the trigger. "Glenn's been showing me..."

Rick didn't have time to even consider being mad or impressed; he nodded and shoved Carl forward, eyes scanning the best path for them to take. Another blood curdling scream came from across the yard and Rick watched in horror as Carol threw herself between a walker and her daughter, the scene suddenly becoming nothing more than blood in a matter of seconds. Rick swallowed hard, reaching for Carl's good shoulder and pulling him in.

"Stay close," he demanded, not needing to look at Carl to see if he understood. They pushed forward, every time Carl shot off the pistol, Rick's heart jumped to his throat and he fought back congratulating his son, knowing they needed to push forward. They could talk after, later, when they survived.

"Dad!" Carl screamed and Rick turned in time to see Shane peeling towards them, cutting the wheel of the Ford he was driving and causing Rick and Carl to jump back. Lori was screaming something at him, but Shane ignored her and pulled out of the farm. The moment's pause allowed the walkers from behind them to catch up and Rick moved quickly to kill as many as he could and push away from them with Carl at his side. "Dad..." Carl whispered and Rick knew that voice, knew that his son had already give up.

"We're gonna be... fine!" Rick grunted, slamming his knife into the skull of another walker, taking a step back again. There were six on them now, more closing in, and he knew there were only one shot in his pistol and maybe two in Carl's. "It's gonna be fine," he whispered again and looked down at the gun. The walker was no way to die, no way to go out or to be stuck in after death had claimed one's mind... Rick eyed his son, his eyes wide and filled with tears, and his fingers twitched against the trigger. He couldn't let Carl become one of them... not his son, not his baby boy... "Carl, come here." Rick said, reaching for his son and pulling him in against his chest. "Close your eyes buddy, okay?"


End file.
